Time for an update.
Been working on some small details over the last couple weeks. I installed the rear disc axle from the 97 sport a while back, but had no way of tying in the emergency brakes due them being different. I had to adapt my existing setup to accept the new. Took most of Saturday, running the longer lines and plumbing them into the stock locations. Had to weld brackets and all sorts of jazz. Finally I finished and polished up the brakes.
Sunday I wanted to tackle the bench seat. Its in good shape for its age but I wanted it out. Dont get me wrong I like the bench for short rides and the occasional extra seat room, but im sure Jeff can attest to how uncomfortable it is. Imagine sitting on a trampoline that is wore out and sags to no end. Thats what its like sitting in it. Now just imagine moderately fast turns. Those will send you rolling into the next seat.
What goes in? Well, i picked up a pair of Hyundai Tiberon seats a couple months back and thought they would be a nice fit. I liked how minimalist they were. Not a bunch of plastic flashing, not high sitting, and great ergonomics. Now, in order to fit the truck I needed a very special set of rails only found on 4x4 trucks with bucket seats. I have been waiting several years for this particular set to pop up somewhere, but no dice. I did however come along the bucket rails for a 2wd. Only problem with them as that they are made to tie into the floor and not the larger tunnel like the 4x4 models.
Luckily my Ram 50 already had the correct rails, and i was able to figure out that the 2wd rails could be made to fit with some minor cutting. You can see how they look before I made the cuts.
After the cut and mocked up. Interesting fact: the cab was set up with threaded bucket seat mounts from the factory. They even give you fresh new bolts for both rear inner mounts!
From there I had to cut off the existing Tiberon rails as they were over an inch wider spaced and didnt have the proper geometry. After finding the proper offset I then welded the 2wd rails to the frame. This process took the longest and was the most cumbersome. Anyways here is the final product.
